ING U.S. will be changing its name to Voya Financial, as the U.S. financial and retirement services firm prepares to be spun off as an independent company by its Dutch parent
ING Group NV, confirmed Emily Dawe, a spokeswoman for
ING U.S.

In an interview, Ms. Dawe said the timing of an initial public offering hasn't been set even though the company has already registered a ticker symbol of VOYA with the New York Stock Exchange.

She said the new brand name won't be used commercially for 18 to 24 months.

The choice of Voya — “an abstract name coined from the word 'voyage' “ — was the product of “months of extensive research and testing,
ING U.S.'s website said. The company started with 5,230 names and tested the names in 60 different languages.